Last one standing
by AMSinc
Summary: Man... cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past: however far or fast he runs, that chain runs with him. Tony is about to learn something from his past, but he is not the only one.
1. Chapter 1

Last one standing

Somewhere in the middle of the 376 wooded acres that make up the Fort Dupont Park, laid a figure on his knees and hands tied behind his back. Behind him, stood a man aiming his sig at the soon to be dead man's head. Even if the scene wasn't taking place at one of the most isolated points in Washington's largest parks, the dark night concealed them from prying eyes.

The man on his knees was breathing hard as a result of traveling all the way from the city trough a bumpy road in the back of the car. He was also lightheaded from the beating he had received, but highly aware that he needed an opportunity to escape the certain death that was coming.

He opened his mouth to talk his way out of the situation when a woman's voice came from somewhere around the woods. "Still alive… Marco, you're getting slow and soft in your old age."

"Christ Sofia! What are you doing here? How did you get in here, anyway?"

"I followed you. I have some unfinished business to our dear cop in here. Right, Tony?"

"Heh. Hi Sofia! Look, if it is about me not calling you back, I'm really, really sorry. I…"

"Shut it, Dinozzo. No use for excuses now. You don't mind, do you Marco?"

"Not at all, honey. Saves me the bullet." He said making way for her.

"Thank you! See Tony? It is just you and me now." She said positioning herself on front of the bounded man. "Just to get things clear between you and me: when I shoot you in the head, I hope you have the decency to die. So, try very hard not to disappoint me this time!"

"I'll do my best." Tony said sarcastically. She aimed her gun at his direction and slowly squeezed the trigger.

They heard the gun shot reverberating loudly trough the woods and the soft sound of a body hitting the ground. In MTAC, Gibbs and his team could only hear the sounds of Tony being killed and his killers' small talk.

"Shit!" The woman named Sofia said while kicking the dead body away from her.

"What happened?" Marco asked her.

"I ruined my shoes." She said coming closer to her accomplice "No way of taking all this mud from them now. Shit!"

Marco sneered at her comment "You women…" Moving a little closer to where she was standing.

"Don't say it, Marco! " She threat him "I have enough of this sexist shit at home and I don't need it at work"

Seeing her bend over the dead body and search its pockets, he asked "What in hell are you doing, woman?"

"Well, he owns me new shoes! That's what it is. I'm just… Hah! Here." After taking some money from the wallet she found on his suit, Sofia turned around in a complete changed humor. "You want any help in burying him?" She asked smiling.

"Pff... No, the boss wants him to be found. Let's just get the hell out of here."

"Fine, with me! My car is that way. So, that means I'll see you at the club." She said watching him leave the woods.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The few special agents and operatives present on MTAC, listened the entire conversation astonished at the cold blood displayed by the murderers. The astonishment didn't last long as ire begin to settle.

_"Well, he owns me new shoes! I'm just… Hah! Here."_ Was the last thing they heard from that unfathomable dialogue. Their ears met only static after that.

At McGee's "We lost the audio, Boss." Everyone in the room turned to look at Special Agent Gibbs' face. The older man looked like he had punched, his faces hard with anger and hate.

"You 'think', McGee? Where. The hell. Are. they?" Gibbs demanded.

"A… I'm… It's Fort Dupont Park, Boss."

"Gear up!" He said leaving the MTAC. "Damn it, Dinozzo!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at Fort Dupont Park, the sound of a departing vehicle could be heard from the trees. Once it had left the area premises, the forest was left with its natural sounds: small animals running over leaves covered grounds and wind blowing through the trees. That didn't last long, as an indignant voice made itself heard.

"That was just cruel, you know?" Tony quipped while sitting on the ground and cleaning his suit.

"I take it you rather be killed by Marco?" Sofia said smiling and offering her hand to him.

"I meant the part you took way money from my dead cold body. Gee! No respect for the dead!" He reprehended her while standing up.

"You did ruin my shoes, Tony" Seeing him opening his mouth to protest, she added "And, no, I'm not giving the money back!" After that she hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much, Tony!"

"Me too, Sofie! Where have you being? I've searched you after Peoria, but I never found any lead on you…" He said happy at meeting his long lost friend.

"Not now. We need to get you out of here." She let him go and started to led the way to her car. "Come on! We need to find a place to have a decent conversation."

"Shit! Gibbs is going to kill me! I keep getting killed…" At her curious stare he cleared his throat and said "I need to contact him and fast."

"Do you absolutely trust him?" She asked seriously.

"Of course I trust him! I wouldn't be working with him otherwise."

"Not the same, Tony, and you know it!" She pointed to him.

After a depp breath he looked in to her eyes and answered solemnly "I trust Gibbs. Really do."

Seeing no other way around it, she tossed her cell to him "Fine. Use this, but, Tony, please keep the fact that you're alive only to his ears… please?"

"But…"

"I promise to explain everything in due time. Tell him to find us at WB Animals Hospital. What?" She asked him unable to comprehend his doubtful face "My cat is in there." She offered back.

"You so own me for this!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

WB Animals Hospital was housed in a run down building, whose mission on earth had been accomplished good ten years ago. It should, by all rights, have being marked for demolition, but its owner, Mr. Costa, refused to let it go, just like his clientele refused to acknowledge his 'retirement'.

Gibbs arrived 20 minutes after receiving Tony's call from as unknown cell. He gave the building a cursory look, wondering if the construction would still be standing after he gave Dinozzo the dressing down that the young agent had merited.

He entered the hospital and contemplated the nauseatingly yellow walls of the reception room, the battered chairs and small coffee table set in the small at the reception's left. The room was empty, but he could hear some voices talking at the back rooms. He couldn't make out the words, but he definitely recognized Tony's voice among them.

A few minutes later, an old man, dressed in white left the room and, seeing a new face wandering around the hospital corridors, asked him suspiciously "May I help you, gentleman?"

Gibbs's looked at the other man's eyes and said "Yes, I'm looking for a friend. His name is…"

"Hey Boss! You're here!" Tony interrupted sporting a wide grin on his bruised face.

"Dinozzo!" Gibbs felt infuriated by his agent nonchalance "You mind to explain what the hell happened out there? And while you're at it, why you faked your death, again?"

The head slap Tony received wasn't unexpected, at all, but he had to wince after considering what the rest of the team would do to him once he was back at the office. "Look, Boss…"

He didn't have time to elaborate an answer, since it was Sofia's time to intrude. "I'll explain everything you need to know once you get in this room, Special Agent Gibbs. This is clearly not the place to hold that kind of conversation. Now, if you could get in this room, please?" Sofia, while staring seriously at Gibbs, kept the room's door opened as an invitation, her body language showing how stressed and anxious she was.

"Fine." Gibbs tossed over his shoulders, entering the room. The second the door was closed, he turned back to his agent and stated "Now, talk."

"Why you guys were investigating the Club?" Sofia started.

"Did I stutter? I said talk, not ask." Gibbs retorted grumpily, having a feeling this was about to become a pissing contest.

"And I'm asking you a question. Right now I'm not sure if you're merely incompetent or down right dirty, what I do now is that your actions could have killed Tony tonight." She offered back.

That got in Gibbs nerves. Tony could perfect imagine his Boss wringing his best friend's neck. And he felt compelled to defend Gibbs "Sofi! What are you talking about? There were no faults on my cover and …"

"Because, Tony, you were busted the minute you showed your face at the Club!"

"Hey! Are you insinuating that gave myself out?"

"Hell, Tony! No! The Club is a part of Sloane organization; he had you pegged the second you showed up!" Sofia kept going exasperated.

"Sloane?? What are you doing working for Sloane, Sofi? You know perfect well what he did back in Peoria!!" It was Tony's turn to be angered.

"Not now!" She countered. Turning her focus to Gibbs, she demanded an answer "So? What happened? Are you so incompetent that you didn't know that Club belonged to Sloane or did you just sent Tony to his death?"

Gibbs went furious at the accusations launched at him. He walked in to her personal space, eyes cold with hate and looking down at the small brunette standing in front of him said deadly serious "You're Tony's friend, I'll let you go this time and this time once! I'll never put him or any other of my agents in a situation like that. EVER."

She didn't let herself be intimidated, not much anyway, and pressed further "Then tell how is that every LEO in this country is aware of Sloane's connection with the Club and NCIS isn't it!"

"I'll figure this out, believe me." Gibbs said through narrowed eyes. "Who are you working for and what are you investigating?"

"Well, I don't like you or trust you enough to give any information about this matter."

"Then why did you asked for me?"

"Basically, because Tony needed a ride home and I had to warn you to stay out of my way!"

"Too bad." Gibbs backed her up in to the wall and rapidly handcuffed her "because now you're accompanying us back to NCIS. Dinozzo! Get her stuff, we're leaving."

Tony watched astonished the scenes unfold; now there was no way in hell his Boss would back out from an investigation. As for Sofie, once she had her mind set to something, she would change her mind for nothing in her life. Shaking his head, he pondered how miserable his life would be for the next hours, having to smooth ruffed feathers from two of the most important people in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

NCIS

Sofia was stuck in one of the many NCIS' rooms, waiting to be interrogated by Gibbs. She had no doubts that the older man was now effectively extracting any available information about what happened on Peoria from Tony.

Tony's return to NCIS didn't cause much commotion since the news of his death never left the MTAC and any strong reaction from his teammates to the new he was still alive was effectively prevented by the sight of a seriously angry Gibbs, walking alongside the young agent.

There were only Tony and Gibbs that night in the bullpen, since Abby and McGee were redoing the research over the Club and its connections over Gareth Sloane and Ziva was babysitting Sofia over room 4.

Gibbs gave a cursory look over Tony, as if measuring his agent loyalty, before encouraging him to talk about his past. "Tell me about Sloane and your friend downstairs."

Tony looked back at him, not hesitating, but trying to choose the best way to explain the whole situation, especially since he didn't even know all the facts. "I know Sofia since my early days in Peoria. We were detectives of different precincts but we ended up working together in many cases. Not only that, but… Let's say we share the same problems with our families, so we understand each other better." Tony scratched the back of his head and moved along with his story. "Anyway, on my second year in Peoria, we were having real problems on the streets, since the people we were arresting seamed to have better weapons than us. And I mean really heavy stuff, military king of stuff."

"Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out that we needed to stop whoever was supplying those weapons to actually stop any crime in the city. You know something, Boss?" Tony smiled a little "It was one of my first undercover missions…"

Shaking himself from those memories, he continued "The Police Department decided to form a joint force between the precincts. Sofia and I were picked to work under senior detective Antonio Costa, he was the person leading the investigation. After a few months, we got one name: Gareth Sloane, big arms dealer with international connections and all. Sloane had included Peoria as his new pit stop in his international traffic route."

"We busted into Sloane's warehouse and apprehended some weapons, but we failed to connect them to Sloane down. The worse thing was that, before Sloane leave the town, he managed to blown Antonio's home, killing him and his wife. Sofia, well, the whole department went little nuts over their deaths. She left the city after the funerals. I did it a few moths later. I…" He looked back to Gibbs hesitating, waiting for some sign from him, anything.

When Gibbs offered nothing in return, he opened his mouth to say something else, but Gibbs desk phone rang before he had uttered any sound.

"Gibbs." The agent's face went stiff at the information his was hearing. Noting the change in his Boss posture, Tony prepared himself to follow him. "I'll be there 3 minutes".

At the question pictured in the younger agent's eyes, he answered "It seams that Sofia is getting some visits downstairs."


End file.
